A Promise of Peace
by Nelly Tayuchi
Summary: War is raging in Japan, men sacrificing their lives for something that is not certain to even come true. Union of a county that is split apart into fragments. The fate of the country is yet to be written, but that is not the same with everything. Story inspired by Voltage: Samurai Love Ballad.
1. Chapter 1

The wars cease to bring the unity and peace that is promised so often, every battle infact. It is still fascinating how neither end of the spectrum doesn't give up and truly bring the promised union of our land. Maybe man is to greedy to see, or too engaged to notice how much devastation each battle causes. But I however think that loyalty is the one to blame for blindly leading men to their pre-dug graves. To fight for what you truly believe and to have a say in the future of your country creating history, these were the things I was idly stripped of from the beginning of my life just as my brothers were. It really is a depressing thought, to have your life planned even before you were named, just like a poor child growing up to be poor, just like a kings child growing up to be king himself. Maybe there is indeed a reason for a child to be born into a certain family, to change the fate of another beings life. It is surprising how a tiny thing can change the outcome of history, even a small thing such as not shooting an arrow at your opponent can change the outcome of the battle, of course depending on who it is your aiming at; if it were a fool he'd go and die either way.

Whether a fool or not it is still affordable to shoot, everyman will die someday so it won't make a difference if you shorten one's life span by a bit, if you did not shoot then he could shoot one of your comrades. Everything has its time, even the stars which shine so infinitively will once decompose into nothingness. But before that I have a life to fulfill, and hopefully I'll be one of those who will make a change, if it be in a fools life or to the outcome of the whole war. With that final thought I jump of the porch which I was sitting on for a minimum of two hours pondering about the meaning of life which I do so often in the dead of night- since that is the only time of day that I have truly to myself, apart from the times which I have to go to the restroom. The courtyard was deserted apart from a couple of maids forking hard past lights out hours, it is easy to creep back indoors when it is this late. The corridors are still lit by oil lamps at this time, the smell of burning wood and a fresh scent of grass fuses together in the corridors creating a rather enjoyable smell, that is until I reach my room which is heavy in fabric and sweet flower perfume that make it hard to breath.

There is only one window but two doors; one leading to the main corridor and one leading to a training ground where my brothers train hard every day to become a samurai that is worthy Nobunaga Oda. My family have been in close relations to the Oda clan for centuries, and are planning to do so for as long as possible. Soon I am to make myself useful in his forces, to become a advisor, page, poet, medic or even a wife to anyone who needs one at the command of Nobunaga. As Lady Kiyo Kogo Chiyo Hime Lien Hanazawa I'm as worthy for the job as anyone else. My name is rather long, I took on the names of other very important women from my ancestors as well as the Oda Family. With such a heavy name, I also have heavy clothing to drag around with me. The fabrics I wear stack around in corners of my room, most of them are a gift from Nobunaga himself as a way of saying thank you. Really I can't complain, the clothing I get is of the highest quality but that also puts more pressure on me to not ruin it- hence why I usually wear my plain light white cotton kimono which I got as a gift from my grandma many years ago and miraculously still fits me. It got so battered that I'm not afraid to wear it anymore, but I still have to wear the luxurious clothing during the time when I'm in the public eye (even if it is the maids who help me get dressed in the mornings) because I look like a commoner in this garment. My favorite piece of furniture is the tatami mat which lays in the middle of the cramped room. The place where I can snuggle in and leave the worries out of to have a rest and prepare for the following morning which is the hardest part of the day: to get out of my favorite piece of furniture.

Thick beams of morning sunlight welcomed themselves through the only window I have and shot right into my half awake eyes. A commotion stirred in the courtyard, so loud I could hear it in my room. This is unusual, no one is awake at sunrise except for the few maids we have and I'm curtain that they're not the ones arguing. I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position just in time to see one f my doors slide open. "Lady Kiyo, I'm sorry to wake you up so early but you are needed urgently in the dinning hall. Please allow me to help you dress." the distressed maid said in a out of breath voice. I nodded and ushered her in telling her to close the door behind herself. She silently pulled out one of my personally most disliked attires. It indeed was beautiful but as heavy as can be. "I'm not sure why you are being summoned so early but it's really important, you can hear the ruckus they are making from here can't you?" the maid said as she began tying the obiage, I nodded in response once again. My throat was too dry and I was to tired for this as well. She made a nimble job of preparing me and hurried me outside.

An unpleasant cold morning air made me wince as I made my way to the dinning hall where I could hear my Mum and Dad along with my three brothers talking between each other. After sighing I politely entered the room. On the tables there was only cups of fresh steaming tea which never looked more attractive to me than now, but before I can even have as much as a sip of it I have got to ask what is so urgent at this hour, and I do exactly that. Nagatsugu, my eldest brother, stood up and beamed at me along with the others including the samurai who trained on these grounds. Without knowing what's going on I just stared back and took a seat at a table which was closest to me. "Apologies for making you wait, now would you mind please explaining what this is about?" I directed my speech to the table as I gazed longingly at the cup of tea which gazed back at me. Awaiting a response I glanced up at my parents who cleared their throats, my dad pulled out a letter and placed it in front of him.

Clearing his throat, he re-opened the paper. "Kiyo Kogo Chiyo Hime Lien Hanazawa, you have grew up to become a beautiful, talented, intelligent woman; you make us all so very proud." he began enabling me to take a ungraceful gulp of the steaming tea in front of me, Erharuyi sat down clumsily and slumped his broad shoulders. "Not only have your characteristics been noticed by us, but by Lord Nobunaga himself. He has sent a letter to us directly asking for _you_ to be of service to him. You bring honor to our family name..." he babbled on, but I really was not listening. That letter contains where and what I'll be used for. My heart lurched at the thought. Nobunaga is unpredictable, really is a man of great achievements but his reputation precedes him. 'The devils hand' is there because of a reason, most probably one to be feared of.

I looked up at my family and the rest of the onlookers. "I'm greatly honored by Lord Nobunaga's request. Please allow me to read the words he wrote," my fathers muscly hand passed me the piece of parchment and I took it into my shaky hands. Carefully, I unfolded it to see the neat swishy handwriting printed in thick black ink. Before beginning to read it I inhaled and held my breath. "Dear Hanazawa, the last battle we thought caused us much damage even though we succeeded in the assault, many thanks to your well trained soldiers. It may be too much to ask of you but as well as offering me your soldiers we would greatly benefit from having the presence of your daughter, Kiyo. She would be a great asset to the castle with her many skills. I hope you consider my invitation and send her to Owari as soon as possible. Signed Nobunaga Oda." This request certainly does not sound appealing in any way, I dropped the paper to the table and took another gulp of tea. Please say there is there a way torefuse the proposal, but there is simply none unless I run away when I am traveling there. My parents are practically absorbed into Nobunaga and his men like i'm absorbed into my bed in the morning. I peered into my cup which reflected my petulant face.

There is not a single memory pleasant memory which has anything to do with the Oda's. Since I was little my parents brang me along to their visits. The first time I went Nobunaga's father, Nobuhide, told his retainers to attack thinking that I was an intruder, I still have scars from that day. Never have I been so beat up in my life than when I refused to go on another visit with them, I really did regret being born that day. I used to cry each time I even heard their names until quiet recently when I figured out it'll be like this my whole life, but now I fear that there will be twice more traumas added to the very long list. The most recent visit was in spring, so around three weeks ago, ofcourse it wasn't pleasant at all but luckily one of his men and my brother, Hidetaka, saved me from his cruel entertainment. It was while the food was being served that I decided to go for a stroll in the gardens but I got followed by none other than Nobunaga himself, barely a second later I was being prodded with a stick and being shouted orders to get up a tree by him. I was nearing a thin branch which would have snapped when one of his men came to save me. I let go of the tree and the man caught me in his arms before I hit the ground. Hidetaka came running after acting worried as if he cared about me.

Growing up in the Hanazawa house is like growing up amongst vegetables, I am certain none of us have any human emotions, that is except for myself and my younger brother Katsunaga. The eldest one of us is Nagatsugu; although he is the oldest he is most certainly not the most responsible one out of us, all he ever cares and cared about is fighting and killing and getting the victory he desires so deeply. He is practically a killing machine that no one ever turns on until there is a blood bath getting stirred, he is vicious but there is definitely a human soul hidden somewhere in that poor little shallow heart of his. Hidetaka is going to be our fathers successor, it would usually be the eldest sons job unless he is a maniac like in this case. There are many similarities between him and our father, both stubbornly obsessed with the Oda's and the country, but there is kindness within him, he did help me a lot when we were both younger and going through the tough training our parents battered us with for so many years. Then there is my younger one who is truly the one I feel related to, I was more of a mother to him at the age of six than ours at the age of thirty. It might be that my mindset rubbed of onto him from all the hours we spent together having deep conversations and bonding while sneaking out in the middle of the night to get food together. I was raised up to be like my brothers but I managed to escape that depressing fate, as a younger girl I was really fascinated in the concept of love which I heard stories about from the maids who dressed me, in a way they were the ones who dragged me into feeling and understanding emotions, Katsunaga didn't have that luxury and I understood what he could be, so I took it into my own hands to raise him as a human being. Mother never speaks, the only time I've ever hear her is when she apologizes and thanks anyone, Nagatsugu sais she is always been like this, since he can remember she only sat and did what was needed. In her spare time she just sits in her room, not making a sound. She has an eerie presence around herself that makes me feel like she is not alive nor has he own will.

Fathers fist slammed on the table making me tear back into reality. "And therefore you will leave this afternoon once you are finished packing! The maids will help you with that once they finish preparing breakfast." My heart skips a beat and my eyes popped out of my skull at the news. He has got to be joking, but on second thought, he probably does not even know what the purpose of one is. "Only take the highest quality fabrics, like the ones you received from Lord Nobunaga and do not take the cotton one, you look like an absolute peasant in it.." The breakfast was supplied and I chomped it down without an appetite, this is probably the last meal I have before I will have to eat grass and stinging nettles in the wild. Once I finished eating, I excused myself in the most groggy manor I could master and ran back into my room. I felt numb all over, my fingertips were cold, shaking. Everyone in that castle was ruthless, they would slaughter a baby for crying. Just the thought of myself being amongst that kind of men sends a shiver down my spine making me hug myself tightly.

It is not like I have not been expecting this though, but this letter definitely makes the fate of my life solid.


	2. Chapter 2

The numb feeling continued until I was being waved goodbye and driven away on horseback from the place I was born in alone for the first time in my life. Escorting me were three men; one which was sent from Nobunaga to deliver the letter decided to join us on the journey down the mountain, the other two were possibly the best samurai my father trained ot took in. It was completely silent excluding the odd song of birds and noise of crickets that came up once in a while. The journey is not long, takes around four hours on foot, maybe half the time if traveling by horseback as we are. I clenched my stallion and arched my back letting out a deep sigh of boredom, the man to the left of me gave me a glance, disgust written all over his face. Ignoring it, I slowed down the pace into a merry trot. Think! There must be a opening where I can escape from, but the only clear space was before me, a rocky road which led straight for a cross road between Edo and Kyoto. It could be worth a try, Edo is not a place where I have visited recently- quiet the opposite actually- so no one should be able to recognize me there. But should I just charge full speed or create a distraction, I have got to come up with something urgently otherwise I'll be kissing my own tombstone hello.

There is no time to waste, I grabbed the rein and tugged on them hard enough for the stallion to come to a halt making the one behind me to trip over itself and stumble before stopping. The man atop the steed groaned and cursed under his breath, "Apologies, but I need to excuse myself for a moment. Would you mind handing me a chance of clothes?" I asked sliding of the back of my horse. The men who raced bit further down reversed back to where we were.

"Are we havin' a break then?" Nobunaga's man asked and the one who rode behind me shook his head fiercely and pulled a piece of luggage from the horse. The other two men hopped of of the saddle and petted their vehicles. My heart was racing so rapidly that I could feel my pulse in my elbows.

"This one's having lady issue's," he grunted and handed me the case which I hooked up onto my horse after taking out my favorite outfit. "Might as well have a break."

As they began getting their rations out I hid in the bushes to get changed as fast as possible. The men can easily follow me though can't they, I steadied my heavy breathing with a hand on my chest. This is going to be the first time I will ever take matters into my own two hands, and their trembling. You have started this now you have got to go through with this. I gently cut of ribbons of the kimono I took of using the sword that was placed back into its scabbard, slowly snuck back to where the men and the horses were. After drawing in a large amount of fresh air into my lungs, carefully, I began binding one of the horses hind legs, tying loops and knots into it to make sure it's secure. I was surprised they did not pick up my heart beat by how loud it was. With another deep breath I began tying the second ones legs together, after just the second knot a sound that I was dreading boomed through the trees. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" My body froze for a long second, a cold sweat broke out all over me. I was panicking. Everything around me spun. The man began sprinting from between the trees, the others voice joined in to the shouting which did not reach my ears. Tripping over myself I lunged onto the horse which supported my luggage and propelled to the road ahead, desperately trying to speed it up. I dared not to look back at what might be behind me. All I head were screams and whining of the horses. The wind tore my morale apart, we were reaching the crossroad, at full steam without any signs of slowing down. I braced myself, ready for the impact of the dense trees and bushes beyond the roads, but instead there was a fine clearing and a tiny pathway, to big for a horse. With a terrified glance around me I slung of my luggage and sprint away between the trees and thrones that cut into my thighs and arms, I could not feel the slightest scratch, all I could feel was the thick air condensing around me, suffocation me.

The tears that welled up in my eyes made my vision obscure, my legs swayed under the weight of me and the many kimono's I have dragged along. Finally, they buckle beneath my weight, I give a wail of surprise as I hit the floor with a heavy thump. The trunk I was holding so dearly flies out of my hands and my belonging skater across the grass and mud. The barrier that was holding my emotions on edge tumbles down, birds evacuate from my loud sorrowful wails echoing through the forest surrounding me. No, I'm not this weak! I got myself in this position on my own so man up! With a slap on my cheeks I got my resolution back, wiped my damp face and regained my composure. I reached out for the trunk and began re-assembling the materials and ornaments inside. My eyes peeped around, I has deserted in the middle of a forest which I do not know. Tall trees towered above me in the setting sun. It might be worth getting some shut eye now, the summer nights are shorter so I should be up by sunrise. With that thought in mind, I drag my suitcase into the shade of a large tree and lay my head on it. The adrenalizing day was coming to a close, this day is one I would hate to repeat. My head felt heavy, my eyes go pulled shut by gravity. A pleasant darkness engulfed me, letting me relax for the first time in what seemed like forever. The sun's rays faded soon and up came the moon and stars which shone mysteriously, calmly. A light wind brushed against the leaves in the dead of night. Indeed a tranquilizing setting for a day so eventful.

The peacefulness continued until the loud songs of wild birds brang me to. The sun filtered through the leaves as I remembered the hazy events of yesterday. Just as I began to stretch, I heard a low hissing sound and once I looked down my body I noticed a long, scaly creature with a long tongue and beady black eyes baring its fangs at me. "Eek!" I stood up abruptly and give out a high screech. I grabbed my bag and ran a couple of paces forward just to get knocked out by a branch that hit me square in the forehead and snapped my head back without warning. As quickly as I jumped up, I have fallen back to the ground having lost my consciousness. the next thing I know, I was being prodded with a stick in a rather fierce manor, one that's rather familiar to me. No! Nono no, it can't be him! Nobunaga wouldn't be this far south from his castle.. unless I got lost! If I pretend dead he might leave me and go! I stay there still, ignoring the prodding which is gradually beginning to become very irritating. "Oh dear, I think we've found a dead one.." said a unfamiliar voice, I think the one who's poking me.

"No, don't think so. Look, she's breathing," another voice said, a man's voice. "We should take he with us." he said. Right after that the stick stopped touching me and left sore spots on my back and side. I kept my breathing as shallow as possible, now should I just continue like this or say something. Well if I do say something and it turns out to be Nobunaga's men, they'd recognize me. I'm unconscious for now, I kept my eyes shut. "And take that thing she's holding with her."

"As you wish, dear." the man said and heaved me up, this guys strong. He was holding me with one arm and then threw me across a horse, I think. "Now, lets see what you have in that suitcase of yours." as he said that, there were two clicks and I could hear the box fling open. "Well this one sure doesn't look like a peasant."

"Come on, just leave it. L-let's take her back, she doesn't look like she's in a good condition," with that my trunk thumped closed and the horse I was on began trotting away. I dared to open my eyes to a slit, it was just enough to see a mans sandals and a sheathed spear. They must be some kind of samurai by the looks of things. After getting a good look, I closed my eyes once again, letting the horses swaying lull me back to a daydream. The men were speaking amongst each other but I could only hear muffled voices. No! I already slept enough today! Forgetting my surroundings I pushed myself up and fell straight to the floor after the horse pushed me of. "Argh!" My eyes flew open as my body, once again, slammed to the ground. In a hustle, I picked myself up and dusted of my clothing before lifting my head up. The two men were staring at me with parted mouths at me graceful awakening. While were facing each other, the horse began kicking at the air an frustration.

A minute passed before one of us began talking. It was the silver haired man. "Oh, so you aren't dead." I shook my head unable to find the appropriate words to say. The moor I looked at the both of them, the more I realized how much trouble I was in. They were both of a muscly build, broad shoulders, tall and ad an intimidating look. "What wee you doing laying on the floor like that?" he asked... I broke out in a cold sweat, should I tell them? No, of course not. I need to know them first, who the hell are they?

"Would you mind me asking, who are you two?" I said swiping strands of hair behind my ear.

"I'd like to ask you that aswell," the man wearing red said and struck his hand on his weapon that hung by his side. I followed his lead and placed a hand on my own and took a couple steps back.

"I'm Kiyo Hanazawa," nervously, I managed to say my name, this is probably something I will regret.

"From the Hanazawa's are you? That means your from the Oda clan," before I knew it, the white haired man stood behind me, a cold blade touched my neck. Bit by bit, the cold metal inched into my skin leaving a throbbing sensation.

"Saizo stop, there must be a reason why she was in the forest alone in this state, right?" the other man tilted his head and smiled slightly. The moment my neck got released from the tension I gave an abrupt desperate nod.

"So basically, Nobunaga sent for me to serve him directly but I have difficulties being around him. When I was being escorted, I managed to get away and ended up there where you found me. My family has an obsession on the idea of him but I somehow did not see Nobunaga the same way they have so I decided to flee. I swear to god, I really am not a spy or anything like that, you can have my word for it." at the end of my short explanation, I gripped the collar of my cotton white kimono so hard that my knuckles go white. Only then I realize how much I was shaking. I gave a determined look at th two men and asked. "So who are you two?"

"Ooh, that explains why you had the expensive looking stuff in your bag. For a second I thought you were a dead thief. But my Yukimura insisted on getting you to a doctor," the man called Saizo said with a slight snicker.

"Shut up," the man wearing red said and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. "Should we take her back? Well we've got no other choice, she might've heard somethings."

"Um, excuse me but why are you avoiding my question?" I asked in a slightly more sincere tone of voice. The two turned their heads back to me once again.

"Oh yeah, I'm Saizo. And that's my darling Yukimura."

"What?! You mean your both in the... in the," Evidently my stammering got through to them and they nodded. "For the love of god, I'm so gald your not from the Oda clan! I'd rather commit suicide than bow before one of them again."


End file.
